Jailing Anwaar for two-and-a-half years today, Judge Julian Goose said: "You plainly have a history of violence."

While sentencing him she took into account previous convictions he had for attacking men.

One year of Anwaar's sentence is for his controlling behaviour, while the other 16 months are for attacks on Ms Doherty.

He once held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her while her terrified son hid under the bed.

In August last year Anwaar slapped and kicked Ms Doherty, 30, after a row about money.

He then choked her until she passed out.

The abuse got so bad that Ms Doherty has told how at one stage she took 18 pills in an attempt to take her own life.

In a victim statement read out to the court yesterday, Miss Doherty said their relationship had started out "perfect" but everything changed in May 2015.

She said: "I knew how quickly his mood could change over the smallest thing.

"He ruined my daily life."

Ms Doherty described how she no longer had any self confidence and was worried because Anwaar had a large family and she didn't want to go out in case she saw them.

Anwaar was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court in one of the first sentencings of its kind

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Superintendent Natalie Shaw, the force leader for domestic abuse, added: "This is the first successful conviction we have had under the new legislation regarding coercive control, and I am pleased that Anwaar is now behind bars for his actions.

"Domestic abuse is wide-ranging and isn't always clear to see upon first examination. Just because physical signs of abuse might not be present, it doesn't mean that someone isn't a victim of domestic abuse, and coercive control can be extremely damaging to a person.

"I'm pleased that coercive control is now legally recognised and we can continue to work with partners to effectively tackle domestic abuse cases and provide the support needed to those involved."